Alphabet · A–Z

C in Morse code

Standard Morse code for C. Copy it, hear it, or practice with real examples.

-.-.

4 signals (2 dots, 2 dashes)Dots are short • dashes are longLetters use spaces • words use “/”

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Memory mnemonic

COO-ca-COO-ca

Say it aloud with the stresses shown. The phrase carries the same dit/dah rhythm as the Morse for C. Once the rhythm sticks the dots and dashes follow.

This is the widely-circulated Scout-meeting variant. Many teachers develop their own — the words don't matter, only that the chosen phrase carries the same dit/dah rhythm.

About C in Morse code

Pattern: -.-.
Length: 11 Morse units
Spoken as: Charlie (CHAR lee)
In English text: 2.8% of letters — the 12th most common
Sent backwards: .-.- is not a letter or digit
Dots ↔ dashes: .-.- is not a letter or digit

C takes 11 units to send. 18 letters are shorter and 4 others are the same length. Alfred Vail reportedly counted the type in a printer's case and gave the shortest codes to the letters used most, so frequency and length roughly track each other: C is the 12th most common letter and has the 19th-shortest code.

How long C takes to send

Speed	Unit length	C takes
5 WPM	240 ms	2.6 s
13 WPM	92 ms	1.0 s
20 WPM	60 ms	0.66 s
25 WPM	48 ms	0.53 s

Standard PARIS timing: one unit is 1200 ÷ WPM milliseconds; a dot is 1 unit, a dash 3, and the gap inside a character 1. Add 3 units between letters and 7 between words.

Easily confused with

These are one dot or dash away from C. Mishearing a single element — or clipping one off the end — turns C into one of them, so they are worth drilling side by side.